NATO 'Disappointed' At Russian Withdrawal From CFE Treaty

The treaty limits the deployment of heavy weaponry (ITAR-TASS)
July 16, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- NATO has issued a statement saying it is "deeply disappointed" at Russia's decision to pull out of the adapted Conventional Forces In Europe (CFE) Treaty.

Russian President Vladimr Putin ordered the suspension of the treaty, which oversees the deployment of heavy weaponry in Europe, in a decree on July 14. A Kremlin statement said the decision was linked to "extraordinary circumstances” that affect “the security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures."

NATO says it hopes dialogue with Russia on modifying the CFE Treaty will continue, and that Moscow will continue to allow Western inspections of its forces.

AGREEMENTS ON CONVENTIONAL FORCES IN EUROPE. The CFE treaty is an arms-control agreement originally negotiated between NATO and the Warsaw Pact as a guarantor of European security in Europe in the waning days of the Cold War.

The original CFE Treaty took 10 years to negotiate, was signed by 30 states ** in November 1990, and came in to force in 1992. Its aim: to reduce stockpiles of conventional armaments between the Atlantic Ocean and the Ural mountains.

The CFE-1A, a 1992 addendum, has resulted in the withdrawal of more than 700,000 troops from Europe since 2001 and the destruction of 50,000 pieces of military equipment by 1995.

The CFE-II, negotiated in Istanbul in 1999, reflected the new, post-Soviet landscape by setting arms limits for individual countries, rather than zones. The agreement aided NATO's expansion efforts by allowing signatory states to allow foreign forces on their soil.

NATO states have not ratified the CFE-II due to concerns over Russia's failure to comply with commitments it made during the negotiations. Under the Istanbul Accords, Russia pledged to set a timetable for closing its remaining military bases in Georgia and to completely withdraw its forces from Moldova.

The CFE-II will come into force once ratified by all 30 CFE signatories. Thus far only Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine have ratified the CFE-II.

In ratifying the agreement in June 2004, Russia called on the signatories not to delay in ratifying the document. Russia expressed concern that Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, as nonmembers of the treaty, could possibly harbor NATO troops near its western border.